Familiar faces coaching new teams this winter

"I was involved in the offseason (and) I coached all these kids in youth basketball and JV," Hamilton's new girls basketball coach said after a recent practice. "They know me and my style. They'll miss Jess, but they've been very receptive and responsive."

They should be as Weeks has been around the program for many years and his daughters played for him and last year's coach, Jessica Poole. Lauren, the youngest daughter, returns for her junior year and is one of the leaders on a guard-dominated squad.

"We are short, but we have two solid forwards in Kendall Rusch and Sarah Foster," Gary Weeks said. "Things are going great. They're working hard and bought into what I want to do. The system is the same, what Jess was doing."

"My biggest concern is the division we play in," Gary Weeks said. "We're the only (Class) D school and have to battle Cooperstown, Sauquoit, Waterville, Mount Markham, Morrisville-Eaton. And we have two non-division games with Oriskany and New York Mills and are the only D team in the Sherburne tournament.

"We have a rugged schedule."

Camden's girls basketball team will also have a new but familiar face on the sidelines this season. Kyle Hanifin takes over the varsity program after coaching modified and JV for one year apiece.

"It's made things easier," said Hanifin of the transition. "I know how they like to work and they know how I like to work."

Hanifin also knows things are different at the varsity level. He noted the quicker play, but added his team continues to become more skilled.

"I want these girls to have the best chance of winning," he said. "I'm also excited because I've had some of these girls since (they were in) eighth grade. It's great to see their progress."

Ben Johnson didn't have the luxury of knowing his Hamilton boys squad for years, or even months before the season started. He took over the team two weeks before practice started - he replaces veteran coach Dave Rhyde - and said he and the team are learning as they go.

"I planned the first two weeks of practice ahead of time," said Johnson. "The first day I scrapped it and went back to basics. (The team) has come a long way since then, and we're back on track now."

Johnson takes over a Hamilton program after three years as a JV coach at his alma mater, Sherburne-Earlville. He compiled a 32-16 record over that span, numbers that would be welcome for an Emerald Knights team that has struggled recently.

Morrisville-Eaton's new girls basketball coach Kevin Johnson has plenty of experience, coaching in different schools around the world. He got his start as an assistant women's coach at Creighton before moving to Colorado. From there he went to Wuerzburg, Germany before returning stateside for two stints in Cazenovia, split by a run as M-E's JV boys coach.

But his last job was nearly a decade ago, and Johnson thought he was out of coaching for good.

"I knew these kids (from teaching) and they are great kids," said Johnson. "They're quality people. They're not just smart, they're good kids."

Johnson also missed some aspects of coaching, including the relationships with players. He said he didn't miss the time commitment, especially because he had children at home. Now that his daughter is in college and his son is in his senior year of high school, Johnson said the timing is right to get back into coaching.

He takes over a young team, with only three players returning from last season. The team has been working on fundamentals in the early weeks of practice, as well as different concepts.